Report: Cowboys hire offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as head coach

The Cowboys plan to promote offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach, NFL Network reports Friday night.

The report follows one from Clarence Hill of All City DLLS on Thursday that the Cowboys were negotiating to hire Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer, 51, will replace Mike McCarthy.

He fits Jerry Jones' MO for hiring head coaches. Jones' eight previous hires were either previous head coaches and/or had familiarity with Jones. Schottenheimer has never been a head coach but the Cowboys were comfortable with him after having him on staff the past three years.

Schottenheimer follows Dave Campo and Jason Garrett as assistant coaches Jones has hired to coach the Cowboys.

His hiring allows Jones, who doubles as General Manager, to maintain control and remain the face of the franchise. Schottenheimer also should come at a lower salary than any of the coaches hired this hiring cycle as he had no other suitors.

His hiring, though, is not likely to bring back hope to fans of a franchise that now has the longest drought without making the NFC Championship Game.

Schottenheimer is the son of longtime NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Brian Schottenheimer joined the Cowboys in 2022 as a coaching analyst and earned a promotion to the OC job when the Cowboys and Kellen Moore parted ways before the 2023 season. Schottenheimer did not call plays under Mike McCarthy, who left the team when his contract expired Jan. 14.

The Cowboys also interviewed Seattle assistant Leslie Frazier and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh, and they had a virtual interview with Moore, now the Eagles offensive coordinator.